LSU football position battles: Wide Receiver

Aug 30, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver John Diarse (9) scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Who will earn the third spot when LSU runs three-wide sets?

This is where it becomes tricky for the Tigers. LSU can go a number of ways here. Last season, John Diarse and Trey Quinn both saw the field a lot. Each received a handful of starts, with Quinn starting seven of LSU’s 13 games.

But Quinn’s playing time and statistics fell off towards the end of the season when he had problems with dropped passes. Quinn showed potential to be a prototypical slot receiver with his quickness and six-foot frame, but the LSU coaching staff lost confidence in him when he started dropping balls. Quinn claims he had vision problems, and has since started wearing contact lenses, something that should help this problem.

Diarse redshirted his first season with the Tigers, and when he got his opportunity to play last fall, he took advantage of it.

He may only be 6-foot-1, but he is a very physical and strong receiver. He displayed this strength last season, when he shed off four defenders on his way to the end zone against the Wisconsin Badgers in the season opener.

There will be times when either Diarse or Quinn will be on the field instead of Dupre in two-receiver sets, and there will be times when one of them will be the third receiver in a three-wide set.

The biggest surprise in the spring was D.J. Chark. He worked his way up the depth chart during the spring. He even earned a good portion of the reps in the spring on the outside, opposite of Dural, when the Tigers lined up in a three-wide formation.

This is interesting because that is a spot most thought either Dupre or Diarse would take. Instead, Dupre was moved over to the slot when LSU was in a three-wide formation. This could end up being a nightmare for defenses. At 6-foot-3, Dupre has a major height advantage at slot receiver.

Next: Who will see the field a lot in 2015?